![Al di meola mediterranean sundance live Al di meola mediterranean sundance live](http://www.mysongbook.com/system/previews/4361/original/Al_Di_Meola-Mediterranean_Sundance-AGuitarI.png?1364486200)
No capo This is my transcription of Al DiMeola's Mediterranean Sundance, an acoustic duet with Paco Delucia off of the album Elegant Gypsy. Al plays on the right channel, and Paco plays on the left channel. Paco picks finger-style, while Al uses a pick. Some notes: I have only transcribed Al's parts, as I got tired of transcribing this monster. (Paco's rhythm parts would be very difficult to transcribe note for note, as he plays more intricate finger-style parts than Al) Apparently, an incomplete transcription of this piece exists (from an old magazine). I have not seen it, and therefore have not had the opportunity to refer to it.
Al's playing is very fast and very clean. Amazing, especially beacause he is doing it on a steel-strung acoustic. He may be playing certain phrases in different positions, but the ones I notated are the most likely. The transcription is broken up roughly by phrasing.
Al Di Meola had landed, and further releases like '78s Casino and '80s Splendido Hotel would result in regular coverage from the press of the day. While tunes like Race With Devil were showcasing Al's electric fusion edge, Mediterranean Sundance shows a softer acoustic side to his writing.
Though I have not transcribed any of Paco's parts, there are only two basic chord progresssions in the entire piece. Em D C B7, and Am Bm7 (Bbm7) Am7 B7. Paco uses the Bbm7 to approach the Am7 from the Bm7 when he is playing in the upper positions, a very common jazz-thing.
This piece is ideal for a duet. One player can jam out the chords, While the other solos, and the players can switch around. It would bekind of silly to try to recreate this piece note for note, don't you think? Otherwise, Al's leads are good scalar exercises for building up your acoustic chops.